Diary of A Homemaker's Week: Sunshine!

Saturday:  Today I made a pizza for our lunch but no supper since we were going out to our Creatives for Christ group.

I am so glad we were invited to join this group.   We had two new members last night.  One is a graphic artist and the other is a harpist who has written a lovely piece for harp.   The leader's wife is a quilter and she does some beautiful work.   There's John, who writes and performs his own songs, myself, the leader who is both an orator and poet, a singer who also is an actor, another who acts and cooks and writes satirical poems that are funny and make you think at once.  We also have a photographer and a painter who weren't able to come last night.  It's turning into a lovely little group.

Our host last night served us a Turkish meal.  I can't tell you the names of what we ate, but I can describe them to you.  A tomato-y and spicy chicken dish served over brown rice, a lovely fresh tomato based relish that is similar to Tabouli, and a yogurt spread that is like Tzaziki.   The last two were meant to be spread on the bread we were served.   I've never had Turkish food before and I found the whole meal a wonderful introduction to  the cuisine.  

John and I find the meetings stimulating and fun and a little over our heads but we seem to hold our own well enough.   Yes, I am glad we joined!

Sunday:  Late to bed, early to rise and off to early service at church.  After church,  we went by Publix to pick up and I quote, 'Spreadable butter and suet for the birds.'   Ha!  A bit over $100 later we came out with three bags full.  Sounds like a nursery rhyme...Just like my budget for the month!  

I stocked up on chicken breasts (b1g1 free) and cat food (same deal) and a multi-pack of  quality chicken  pot pies (bogos, too).  John stopped and picked up strawberries near the front (for me).  I had my back to him because I was picking up flowers (for me, also).  He obviously wanted fried chicken for lunch and I reminded him we had chicken tenders we'd kept frozen last weekend because we didn't need them.  That prompted him to pick up Mac n Cheese in the deli (for him) and Bananas, which made me think of tomatoes as a side dish for our lunch.

We stopped at the meat counter where I spied the chicken breasts which hadn't been advertised and then headed to the pet aisle where we found cat food on sale.  I knew we needed to replenish our supply within the next two weeks and why not do it while on sale?   Over to dairy where I confessed, as we chose our butter,  that I was just longing for yogurt and so John insisted I buy several pots and then into the personal care aisle where we asked each other if we had soap and he said Yes for his, but I said No, I had no more for mine.  In went a ten pack of Ivory bars.

I was beginning to be alarmed at the buggy in a mild sort of way but recalled that we had no antacid in the car where I find it prudent to keep the gel type tablets and we were out of the acid reducer so necessary after a spicy tomato late evening meal such as we'd had last night.  On our way to the register I saw an end cap freezer full of those chicken pot pies ($1 each when on sale and they are the good ones) and sighed as we walked past.  John looked and said "Get them!"  I said, "But the freezer is full...only I do have room in the fridge freezer just now..." and there you have my blown budget.   The only thing we didn't get was suet for the birds because there was none.  So.

On the way home, I recalled that I'd been over budget last month by a small amount and we'd shot the budget hard in December,  which is semi-excusable with holidays and family dinner.  Still, I reasoned we've plenty of food on hand, evidenced by all the expired items I have to use up in the next few weeks still.  I thought that I might buy whole chickens and cut them up myself, I do know how and we'd get a variety of cuts from say four birds at just 89c a pound rather than the $2.99/pound I'd just paid for breast meat alone.  I resolved that I'd stay out of the grocery for the next three weeks (until our next  check is in) and just make do with what we have.   

I confess, I'd thought several times of increasing our grocery budget by a bit when my own retirement starts in April and then I said "No, I won't!"   Because we don't need to increase the budget. I just need to stick with the one I've had and ignored these past three months.  That's all there is to it.  Again, there are ways I can trim it down to what we typically would have and we'd not suffer a bit.  It's just a wee bit more work and heavens I'm used to that!

Monday:  Last night was our senior supper at church.  I had corn pudding on my plate and I liked it. I find it tasty and lovely.  Like Corn Fritters.  Love those, too.  I wonder why it takes us so long to realize that we like or dislike certain foods?    I love corn fritters and corn pudding but only very rarely make the fritters and have never made corn pudding.  I must remedy this in my future.

I was so worn out last night after our big weekend of going out and fell into bed and right to sleep.  But by 1am I was awake and I spent the night struggling through dreams for a half hour and then waking to lie miserably and wait for the next round of sleep/dreams.  I turned the alarm off when it went off this morning and never checked it again until I woke from yet another dream that was irritating.

This morning I had to admit I have the tummy virus that's been going about.  My symptoms are mild but they are surely there and cannot be denied any longer.   Ugh.  I pushed myself to get the housework done, and then to prep meals ahead because somehow I just felt I needed to get it done.  I listen when intuition says "Go ahead...Prep ahead."   So right now I've got three meals ready to eat.  I would happily have done more but I haven't thawed meat for the Shepherd's Pie and I'd run out of steam after working hard all morning long.  

I frustrated myself today because I failed to check my cabinet before I retrieved the last box of spaghetti from the expired box.  I opened it and cooked about 1/4 of it but doggone it I had some in the cabinet already (also expired and open).  So now there are two open boxes of spaghetti in the cupboard, sigh.

I opened my last bag of flour this morning, a 25 pound one.  I also made a loaf of bread.  John rarely will eat the bread machine loaf but if I use the same recipe, use the machine to make and raise the dough, then shape into my own loaf pan and let rise a second time and bake...He eats the whole loaf in a few days time.  I could easily make two loaves each week.   Since we didn't pick up bread at the bread outlet as I'd meant to do, I figured I'd just make a second loaf and so I did.

What did I make today?  Orange gelatin with peaches.  I made the Spaghetti a la Diable, putting half the sauce into the freezer for a future meal and cooking only half as much spaghetti as I typically would.  This made a small casserole.  I could store 2 cups of sauce more easily than a 9x9 pan of casserole.

I cooked chicken and vegetables for the Butter Chicken (also a bottled sauce).  I found I didn't have Chicken Korma sauce, but Tikka Masala which I love but it's spicy.  I don't need spicy just at the moment!    I'm cooking a double batch of rice this afternoon.  I'll put some of the bean stew over it for me and the rest will store to reheat for the Butter Chicken meal.

I made a breakfast casserole, which John loves.  I had bread end pieces and sausage out but ran out of steam earlier.  I might got the casserole assembled this evening when I went in to make the cornbread.  I like to make good use of the stuff already in my house and these end pieces I found in the freezer yesterday when I was taking out the beans and such.  

By the way the bean Stew smells so good.  John suggested it wasn't stew if there is no meat  or potatoes.  I did add zucchini and carrot to that as well as to the butter chicken, and more zucchini to the Spaghetti a la Diable.  That finished off the huge zucchini.  As for John, I warned him I'd used the smoked turkey skin and bones in there and he might not find any meat but he wouldn't miss it...I'm serving it with rice for myself, just to be sure it's bland enough to suit me today, so it will form a complete protein with the zucchini and beans.

Later:  John must have said four times this afternoon, "Boy does that smell good!"  It was the simmering stew that he was smelling and it did really smell like it was going to taste good.  I took out the smoked meat bones and found there was more meat on them than I'd anticipated.  There was a large portion of the neck on this breast, unusual, but boy was it meaty and nice.

Which reminds me.  I've been following Jacques Pepin on Instagram.  He does a tiny video daily of some budget, easy meal one might make.  For all that he was a well known and highly respected French chef, his heart and soul are in the thrifty meals he ate as a child, and which he made often for his family to eat at home.   One of the recipes he made last week called for turkey neck bones.  That's something I shall look for in the grocery in the future.

Tuesday: I feel dragged out and weary.  I told John I just didn't feel up to anything much and he said "Then take the day off!  Nobody's pushing you except you."   That's true.   

So glad I made the big push yesterday to cook meals for most of the week.   

Beautiful day outdoors but cool.   John worked outdoors most all morning and again all afternoon.  Bess has been clearing up one side of their yard and had a fire going.  She brought the truck over and she and John loaded all the brush he's cut over the past few months, making several trips, which she burned for him.  

I went through two boxes of old photos and now that I've got them sorted into families, I can work on copying to add to family genealogy.   There was a stack of photos I'm unsure of who they might be and no one to ask who might know.

John disappeared for a bit and I figured he'd gone over to the house across the field and snuck in a visit with the grandboys (he did).  When he returned we sat on the back porch for a bit.   Honestly the fresh air and sun seemed to help me as much as the rest could help today.  I thought regretfully of all I might have gotten done outdoors on such a beautiful day but as John pointed out, not a bit of it got up and left in a fit of pique.  I'd already had my coffee but took him a cup out for him to have.  It was a nice little interlude.

We'd planned to go South this weekend and see our oldest son and his children but I confessed to John an extreme reluctance to head that way feeling as I have here at the start of this week.  Aside from the length of the trip and that we meant only to stay one night and then head home, is that if I am infectious at all, then I risk not only making them sick but the children's mother's household as well.  It does give you pause.  John agreed that it was best to postpone.  

Wednesday:  Slept better last night, which was much needed and appreciated.  I woke naturally at about 6:50 am this morning.  It must have been something in the air.  Sam announced the entire family at his house was up well before 7am this morning, too.

Yesterday I did a bunch of research, trying to trace why I have felt so ill. It comes down to Vitamin C toxicity.   I started to use the lemon essential oil and was taking a massive dose of Vitamin C as you all know.  Plus eating strawberries or oranges or tomatoes.  Boom.  I have ALL the symptoms listed.  I had felt weeks ago that I should start weaning off the massive doses of Vitamin C (less than half what the doctor wanted me to try) and I'm glad I had.   

This week, being as ill as I felt, I lowered the dosage still further.   I knew that what is called 'Reverse Scurvy' was possible if I suddenly stopped taking the dosage or reduced it too rapidly but as ill as I have felt I figured it was worthwhile to half again the amount I had originally been taking and next week, I plan to reduce it by half again.  My goal is to get off the supplement entirely and take no more than 1000mg per WEEK in future, since many of the foods I eat do have Vitamin C in them.   I'll resume using the lemon essential oil when I get the dosage down a little further.  

In the meantime, I'm a bit better than yesterday, which is a plus.  And I feel good about the path I'm on at the moment.

Bonus to this week:  I've felt too unwell to deviate from the menu.  Everything we've had thus far has been delicious.   I've got food prepped for tomorrow night and I think I'll go ahead tomorrow and prep Friday's meal.

It's been a hard day today.  Upsets came from two different places.  It's been a harsh day to face even though we are only indirectly affected by the events that took place.  I'm glad we are home but we're going to watch tonight's church service. I feel I need it especially today.

Thursday:  With each new day I feel slightly better.  I am pretty sure I'm on the correct track in cutting down the Vitamin C doses.

I decided to wash rugs today and while they were in the machine, I sat down to plan out meals for the coming few days ahead.  I made arrangements to keep all three of the grandchildren so that Sam and Bess could go out for the day next week.  I got quite a bit accomplished sitting there in the bright morning light.

The sun has shone beautifully all day long and the morning was nicely warm by 10am when I went out to hang the bathroom rugs to dry.  I puttered on the porch about 11ish, after the dogs and cat had eaten. I

Hunger drove me indoors, just sheer hunger.  I was ravenous.  I had out ground meat to thaw for tomorrow night's supper and found it was fully thawed. I cooked all, set aside half for tomorrow's supper and made up a pan of ground meat with onion and catsup for sandwiches today.  

After lunch, I mixed up the angel food cake and baked it.   It's time to go remove it from the pan...I think I'll have my afternoon cup of coffee while I'm in there!

Friday:  Well!  talk about a day that changes plans on you!  I said to myself yesterday evening, while John was gone across the field once more, that if I felt at all well today I'd work outdoors.  By the time our breakfast was ready I had a call from Katie asking if I could take Caleb.  Nursery had called again saying he was ill...No signs of it, I say that sincerely but he arrived then Bess and the two littler children came over as well.   Good to see them but the house exploded, children were everywhere and toys were even more every where.  

I utterly forgot my bread which I meant to take out to rise and bake.  I remembered it three hours later.  It's going in the oven here in a bit.

So that's the week here.  Not at all to plan, except the meals.  Those stayed on point and I've really whittled down my expired foods this week.  We've enjoyed our meals, too.  Go me.  I could use a nap.  My head aches, lol.   The retired life is definitely a busy stage of life!

How was your week?